Prefacing this with the fact that I had Stickee Monkee just six days ago. Opened the bottle last night and full notes taken at the time.

A- Split several ways for a tasting and pours with a dark brown body. The head forms to about two fingers with a very light tan hue. Head retention is pretty good as it falls to a foamy ring. Just a few spots of lacing.

T- Complexity is big as it has been with almost all of the FW Anni. brews I had (XIV had a TON of Parabola). Brown sugar, vanilla oak sweetness, bourbon, Belgian yeast spice, spiced raisin red fruits and a slight hop feel. Hints of roast, toasted nuts, figs, slight alcohol and peppery whiskey.

MF- Thick but not RIS thick body with a moderately high carbonation. Pretty much feels like the other Anni. brews completely. Texture is creamy and frothy with a heavy alcohol warming in the end.

Feels like a Quad mixed with a great Brown ale with a decent dose of Bourbon and vanilla oak. The complexity of these brews are astounding. I could probably list a ton more flavors but those are the main ones.

Received this bottle from BA SammyJaxxx after trading away my only bottle to another fellow BA for a beer I wanted a tad more. I was so excited to see it return, so to speak. Obviously, this is the 2013 vintage, and I poured it into a large 22 oz snifter glass.

Appearance - An aggressive pour yields a frothy, soap-like head about a finger thick (slightly less) with a mix of large and small bubbles the color of taupe or khaki. The head lingers for a bit before returning to it's home in the rich walnut-bark brown, almost black liquid that sits beneath the foam. Eventually settles to an archipelago of bubble islands mottling the surface and a rim of foam along the edge of the glass. No lacing to speak of until I begin drinking, leaving a bits of spotty lace here and there along the glass. As I drink it down, some deep, rich burgundy tones become more present, as the liquid is less thick to block out the light. Very enchanting.

Smell - With a blend of so many different beers, I'm not sure what to expect--whether it will be muddled and hard to decipher or a symphony of various profiles blending. Thankfully, it is more the latter than the former. Notes of graham cracker and caramelized sugar interplay with some lighter notes of cocoa powder and just the faintest touch of molasses. Some tannins from the various barrels come through, but not aggressively in the slightest. Honestly, there could be a bit more wood here for my personal liking.

Taste - Disappointingly, the fear of muddling that I had going into the smell has come to fruition a little bit on the taste. It would be unfair to call it unpleasant, because it is anything but. That being said, it's harder to pick out the individual flavor characteristics than it was in the aroma. If I had to sum it up into one impression, it would be that of a homemade dark chocolate caramel, with a blend of slightly bitter and richly sweet. Good in many ways, but my personal preference is to beers that seem to change and evolve, coming to the forefront with different emphasis with each subsequent sip. This one is a bit muddier and more simplistic, considering the complexity that went into its composition.

Mouthfeel - Slightly viscous and somewhat velvety, if a little thin considering the rich and powerful blend of aromas and flavors. I would prefer a tiny bit more body. Carbonation is very low, but enough to get the job done in the face of the more viscous feel.

Overall, a really great beer. It's the first I've sampled in the FW anniversary series, and I must admit that it didn't quite rise to the pedestal level it occupied in my mind before opening. That being said, I'd gladly drink it again and I was very pleased with how easily it drank for a rich, 13% abv beer. At the very least, it has me curious to try the next installment in the series, when Firestone Walker becomes legal...

App- When out of the bottle, this had all the indicators that it was a stout. Color was missing and it was a dark brown, black mix of color. A little red sprinkled in for good measure as well. The light tan foam cap was only about 1/2" and faded quickly. A nice bit of stick to it.

Smell- You can always tell a FW BA beer IMO. The character of all the beers comes wafting up at you and you get hit in the nose and you tend to stick around a bit and try to decipher all the aromas coming up. This had hints of oak, bourbon, vanilla, spice and a booze. A bit stringy vs smooth for me.

Taste- I had heard the rumblings that this wasnt as good as the other vintages because of the new blends and the direction FW took this one. I say pish posh. This was a tasty beer. Sadly I wish that price point was a bit lower to get a few more. The opening was a bit more brown ale than I was expecting even after reading the blend list. It was smooth and flavorful. Melded well with all the ingredients.

Mouth- A solid medium body BA ale that even for me bordered on being a stout. A big feel behind it with a solid carbonation level. Smooth and velvety. The residual flavors were a blend of the beer and left you wanting another sip.

Drink- I will say that it was good. It was a solid beer and that FW always does a good job. It wasnt the best of the Anny series I have had, but thats only because I like stouts better than strong ale blends. Wonder how this one will age.

Pours a dark chestnut brown color that appears pitch black and opaque in the glass with a two finger, frothy beige head that slowly settles into a thick, lasting ring. Very good retention for the style and ABV, taking a while to settle and leaving streaks of soapy lacing behind.

Very inviting aroma with a prominent barrel presence that's nicely integrated into the characteristics of the various base beers. There's a decent spirit presence, consisting mostly of sweet and spicy bourbon, but the oak and other barrel notes really stand out. Subtle charred oak but not too harsh or toothpick-like along with some silky vanilla bean, marshmallow and strong toasted coconut. As it warms the bourbon/whiskey stands out a bit more and the tropical coconut presence comes to the forefront. Underneath the barrel, there is a subtle citrus hop presence and a complex malt bill with a nice balance of earthiness, roast and sweetness. Slightly smokey with hints of coffee bean, oatmeal, dark chocolate and toast countered by leather, baker's chocolate, caramel, burnt sugar and toffee. The brown ale and barley wine elements are the majority of the blend and it shows in the aroma. Not overly roasted or burnt smelling with sweeter, dessert-like and leathery, earthy malts. Also, the Mexican turbinado sugar from the stickee monkey portion is prominent providing additional sweetness that counters the barrel, spirit and more robust malts. The nose of this beer is very complex and appealing with not one element being too strong or overpowering. I would have preferred a little more bourbon, especially since it's such a prominent part of the blend, but it's refreshing to come across a BA beer it's a complete booze bomb.

Viscous full body with a strong boozy barrel presence that is perfectly integrated into the complex flavors of the blend. There's some charred oak and boozy heat but the ABV is very well masked making this complex beer dangerously drinkable. I'm picking up a blend of different spirits but it's mostly dominated by bourbon and whiskey. Along with the bourbon and oak, there's a lot of toasted coconut and some sweet vanilla bean. Underneath the barrel flavors, there's a very nice balance of stout, brown ale, barley wine and black IPA characteristics. Bravo imperial brown ale is the strongest portion of the blend and it definitely shows. There's a prominent sweet, chocolate malt presence with subtle roast, caramel and toffee. Velvet Merkin and Parabola combine for 30% of the blend and together they provide more bourbon as well as roasted, robust malt and sweet dessert-like sweetness. Burnt toast, bittersweet dark cocoa, coffee bean and oatmeal followed by flourless chocolate cake, fudge and toffee. Stickee Monkee and Helldorado give the blend some more alcohol sweetness but surprisingly, there still isn't much heat. Just great bourbon/whiskey/brandy flavor. In addition, these barleywines provide subtle earthy hops and a decent amount of leathery malt and a touch of vinous fruit sweetness. Toward the back end of the palate, the earthy hop bitterness and the spicy rye presence from Wookey Jack stand out. The WJ is only 3% of the blend but the spicy rye, resinous hop and subtle citrus stand up to all of the barrel flavors, boozy sweetness and complex malt flavors.

Overall, I'm once again very impressed by the blend that FW came up with for this anniversary beer. Amazing barrel flavors that are perfectly integrated into the complex flavors of the base beers and the high ABV is nearly invisible. There is some heat and boozy sweetness but the drinkability is off the charts. I had to slow myself down before finishing the bomber to quickly. Another great beer from Firestone Walker. Highly recommended!

A: Poured dark brown with a moderate sized light tannish/dirty white cap, the head retention was good but the lacing was almost obsolete.

S: Big coconuts, vanilla, caramel and toffee with a healthy dose of bourbon and nuts. I can tell the Bravo and Stickee Money are the big bases for this beer.

T: Initially toasted malts coconut and lots of nuts. Midtaste is a pronounced bourbon/booze sting with more toffee, caramel and a hint of chocolate. The barrel is still strong, very strong at this point. The finish is warming w/ caramel, toffee, a light candy stickiness, toasty witha subtle bitterness.

O: Very good but not amongst my favorites. I thought the heat was pretty damn in your face with this beer, which is odd for FW who do a great job of masking and blending. However, I have a couple and won't kick them out of bed!

this anniversary series from firestone has become one of the most anticipated in all of beer, and it is the pinnacle of barrel aging and blending in my opinion. this one is different from years past, less thick and syrupy in feel, i was surprised how easily this one slid down, remembering the last few years as almost gelatinous texturally. this has a dark brown color to it. with some blacker shadows and a thin off white head, almost milky looking, but short lived. the nose is heavy bourbon barrel, a fair bit of the roasty rye from wookey, and a sweet candy-like barleywine middle. vanilla is again a dominant flavor from all the barrel, but the dark chocolate malts of merkin and parabola are more abundant than in other anniversary blends. it comes across as a darker barleywine, being entirely malt and barrel driven, extremely mature for being recently released, and not as hotly alcoholic as it probably should be at this strength. all of the component parts are impossibly well integrated, and while i can taste subtleties from each base beer, the synergy here is profound. its less about trying to pick out each beer than it is appreciating them in this combination. thankful to hops and pie for having this one on tap. and to firestone for continuing to challenge preconceived notions about blending and barrel aging. this is a special brew, now i just need a bottle to age!

Nose: delicious. Not your typical bourbon barrel aged stout, it has enough different notes to stand out. Marzipan, currants, and vanillaTaste and mouthfeel: enough carbo to feel like a beer and not a sipping whiskey. Just the right amount of booziness. Coats the mouth, has long delicious finish.

Overall: worth seeking out. Coming from a hophead, this is a great beer

Pours into an oversized wine glass a deep chesnut brown with a thinner lighter beige head atop.Aromas are on the lighter side wich was surprise but still pleasant,cocoa and some "meatiness" along with some alcohol sweetness,and dark fruit.Wow the complexity on the palate is just awesome,cocoa powder and buttery rum make for a rich taste and the feel goes hand in hand,it's sticky in a very good way,there is a noticable toasted pecan-like flavor as it warms as well.I admit at first I was dissapointed but once the first sip hit me I was hooked,just a great beer.